


something so precious about this

by Denois



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, Grad school!Cait, More tags as I go, Multi, NHL!Chowder, NHL!Dex, Polyamory, Polyshipping, Writer!Nursey, at least to start
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 13:58:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19442845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois
Summary: After graduation, Dex, Nursey, Chowder, and Cait have to figure out how to make their separate dreams for the future work so that they can stay together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed because I'm impatient.
> 
> This fic will update on the first of every month for Polyshipping Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is for Kirani.

Dex was still getting used to the idea of not doing anything. He wasn’t getting too used to it; he still had things to do. But right then, at that moment, all he had to do was wait. 

Thus, it would surprise none of the people closest to him that he had managed to sit and do nothing for less than a minute before he started to do _something_.

He’d made good progress. The shark was completed and wearing a little Bruins jersey and most of the pieces of the bear were completed; they just needed to be sewn together and a Sharks jersey added.

But as soon as he heard the keycard in the door, he set it aside and stretched before greeting his boyfriend at the door with a kiss. 

Technically, he took the bag and shut the door first. But then Dex wrapped his arms around Chowder’s waist and drew in him for a long slow kiss. 

“Mm. I missed you.” He pressed another kiss to Chowder’s smiling lips and then dragged himself away to sort the gear in the bag. “How was the last day of development camp?”

“Hella long and hella hard. I don’t think I can feel my calves anymore.”

Dex finished with Chowder’s dirty gear and followed the sound of Chowder’s voice to the bedroom to find him laying across the bed, flat on his back. He nudged at his leg and then climbed onto the bed himself. “Roll over and I’ll rub them for you.”

Chowder rolled easily, moving until his legs were in Dex’s lap. They fell into an easy quietness while Dex massaged Chowder’s legs and feet. Several minutes passed before the silence was broken.

“I’m probably not even going to be playing for the Sharks.”

“Ayuh. Pretty much everyone spends some time in the AHL. And the Barracuda are still in San Jose.”

“Jack didn’t.”

“Jack’s life is only vaguely acquainted with the real world.” Dex reached up and squeezed Chowder’s butt to make him jump and laugh. “Once they call you up for a game and see what you can do, they’ll be making moves to keep you up.” 

Chowder rolled over and twisted to wrap himself around Dex’s waist. “You’re the best WAG. Don’t tell the others I said that.” 

Dex couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up. “I won’t.”

“Hey! Where are Nursey and Cait? I’m starving.”

“They should be back soon. They decided to drive around and do some preliminary culling of the real estate listings to reduce the number of potential aneurysms that I’ll have tomorrow. I think that’s how they put it.”

“Wait, real estate listings? I thought we were just looking at rentals! You guys are gonna jinx it.” 

Dex twisted around until he could see Chowder’s face again and caressed his cheek. “We aren’t jinxing anything. They’re looking out near.…” Dex stopped and heaved a sigh. “Palo Alto and Stanford. No matter what happens with us, Cait will still be at Stanford for like eight years.”

He pressed a kiss to Chowder’s lips before he could put forth another argument. 

“Fine. But they better bring back food and they better get back soon. I’m starving!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dex is crocheting amigurumis because that's what I do.
> 
> Dex's development camp was 2 weeks before Chowder's, so he knows a bit of what Chowder's going through. But he figures it's even harder on a goalie because there are so few of them and so many of the rest of the guys, and they've got more pads and stuff.


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay, we’re supposed to be trimming the list of the ones that will freak Dex out. Why are these two still on here?” Cait looked at him over the rims of her sunglasses and Nursey looked away from her piercing stare.

“They’re good houses.“ He resisted the urge to sulk or pout. They were good houses though. They reminded him of the house he grew up in.

“Derek. This one is forty mil and the other is seventeen mil. That’s even outside of my comfort zone. Don’t you think they might be a tad pretentious for four twenty-somethings?”

“Chill. They have pools, and this one has a tennis court. They’ve got real marble and granite accents, hardwood floors, a lot of nice open and airy spaces with big windows for natural lighting, built in bookcases. The kitchens have lots of room for Dex to cook in. They’re good houses.”

Cait’s hand settled on his leg, just above the knee, and she gave it a squeeze. “Hey, you’re right. They are good houses. But why do we need a tennis court?”

“Ok, so, like. I was thinking we could convert it to a volleyball court? And also they have tiles that you can skate on and I thought we could get some of those, then we could put them down in case C and Dex want to practice during the summers or whatever.”

Cait reached up and cupped his cheek, pulling his face around so he was forced to meet her gaze where she was smiling softly at him. He was struck momentarily by how sweet and practical she was. She leaned across the console and pressed a quick kiss against his lips. 

“You are terminally sweet. But there is no way that any of the rest of us think that forty million dollars is a reasonable price for a house, even if it does have a tennis court that can be made into a hockey rink and volleyball court. Dex won’t even get that far. He won’t get out of the car.”

“He won’t even be here most of the time.” Nursey did allow himself to sulk at that. It wasn’t fair to take it out on Cait, she’s the one who came up with the idea that would keep them all together, mostly. But Dex and Chowder signing to teams on opposite coasts was still a nightmare that was haunting him every time he closed his eyes. 

“Derek….” Her thumb rubbed at the stubble on his jaw and he sighed.

“I know. It doesn’t hurt to leave them on the list though. We aren’t going to get a house that we can’t all agree to.”

“Ok. Just don’t be surprised if they refuse to get out of the car.” Cait pulled her hand away and Nursey tried not to mourn the loss.

She was looking at the list that he’d made again and he waited for her response. 

“Weird modern house. McMansion, seriously? Weird modern house. Fine but with tiny bathrooms. Fine but really ugly bathrooms. Fine but forgettable. Nice. Fine but forgettable. Bland. Kinda ugly but okay. Oh. Oh you are sneaky.” She looked up at Nursey with a smirk. “I see your play now.”

“It’s perfect, though, right?”

“Yeah. I thought so, too.” 

“C would be an easy sell on it. But Dex….”

“Yeah. I get it. If he saw this one first, he’d be overwhelmed by the size and price. Hit him with how pretentious the house could be, then with how bland but still three mil. Then show him this one last. It’s a good play. Devious, but smart.” 

“Yeah, you aren’t the only brains in this relationship.”

* * *

“Okay, remember, no asking how much they cost or asking questions to try to guess how much they cost. Only looking at the houses themselves and the merits thereof.”

Dex heaved a sigh. “Yes, Nursey. I remember what we agreed on.”

“Chill. I just can’t help but notice that you’re still in the car.”

Dex took another deep breath. “If I get out of the car, am I going to feel like the Beverly Hillbillies has been rebooted featuring a Mainer? Specifically, me?”

Cait leaned onto the quarter panel next to him. “Come on, Dex. At least look at the houses on our list so that when we make the decision your arguments are at least informed by facts of the houses.”

The door unlatched and Dex unbuckled his seatbelt, finally. “Fine. I trust you. You wouldn’t put something on the list just to make me feel awkward. You’d at least also consider it a good option.” He might have spoken after Cait’s entreaty, but he was looking at Nursey while he spoke.

Nursey let a grin slide onto his face. “That’s the spirit. We’d never steer you wrong.” 

Somehow, Dex’s belief in them held through all eleven of the houses that Nursey never expected Dex to really agree to. That wasn’t quite true. Nursey was pretty sure the last five houses were perfectly serviceable and that in Dex’s care, or with Nursey’s money going to a contractor, they could be made into something good. 

Nursey wasn’t really interested in good. If everything went according to plan, they would be living in this house for at least however long it took Cait to get her PhD. Maybe longer if Chowder didn’t get traded and she found a job in the area afterward. Nursey wanted a house that was as close to perfect as possible. His datemates deserved it.

Dex didn’t say anything at the last house. They looked through all three levels. Nursey pointed out the built in bookcases in both the library and office. He hadn’t even had to point out the views from the terrace because Chowder had exclaimed and then refused to be moved from the spot while the rest continued the tour. The guest rooms downstairs, the rec room which could be a home gym, the covered porch from the separate three car garage to the mudroom/laundry room. The absolute beauty of a kitchen. The giant master bedroom and master bath. 

They were off the other upstairs bedroom, in a small room labeled a sewing room on the floor plans, when Nursey broke the silence. “Two rooms up here, could be connected probably, but allows people to get away from the big group sometimes. And they call this a sewing room, but I know you need space sometimes. Some little place you can get away, so I thought maybe this would be your place. Cait and I have the library and office. C is already in love with the terrace and screened porch.”

He stopped and bit the side of his mouth lightly. 

“Ayuh. It’s pretty much perfect, Nurse. I don’t think I could talk the rest of you out of it if I wanted to.” 

Nursey watched Dex’s profile as he stared out the window. “Why don’t you seem happy, then? Is it because it’s the west coast house? Because I’ll find a place just a good in Boston.”

Dex turned towards him with a small smile. “It’s not that. I don’t need anything fancy in Boston. It’s nothing really. It’s stupid.”

“Ok, well, rude. If it’s important to you then it’s important to me. What’s eating you, William Ging?”

“Don’t call me that.” The response was reflexive, as was the eyeroll. Nursey was pretty sure. “I just, I always imagined that I’d make you built in bookcases. You buy people houses to show you care. I build stuff.” Dex shrugged his shoulders. 

“You’re upset because the house already has built in bookcases, so you don’t need to build them for me?” 

“Told you it was stupid.”

Nursey stepped up behind Dex and wrapped his arms around him, hooking his chin over Dex’s shoulder. “‘S not stupid. Give me twenty minutes and a sledge hammer, there won’t be any built ins and plenty of room for you to make them.”

“If I give you twenty minutes and a sledge hammer, the house will be falling down and we’ll be on the way to the ER.” 

“Rude. But really. If it’s important to you to make me bookcases, I won’t stop you.”

“Why are you being agreeable?”

“First, because I’m thinking about how many books I’ll be able to fill our homes with. Second, because you acknowledged that buying you things is my love language which means none of you get to stop me from doing it anymore.”

Dex groaned, but Nursey was pretty sure his heart wasn’t in it because he leaned back into Nursey’s chest at the same time. “It’s a good thing I love you, Nurse.”

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second month of polyshipping day. Hopefully their plans are coming together and making a bit more sense now. We'll meet back up with them next month.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Draskireis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/draskireis) for giving this chapter a look over.

Cait woke up warm and content. The morning light was filtered and soft through the curtains that they’d put up and she was surrounded by two of her boyfriends. Chris was formed to her back with arms and legs wrapped around her in his best koala impression, like every morning, and her forehead was resting against Derek’s shoulder. 

The only thing that made the morning less than ideal was the alarm blaring from somewhere behind Derek.

“Will. Turn off the stupid alarm.”

Derek shifted against her. “‘S not here.”

Cait blinked bearily, struggling closer to wakefulness. “He is. He doesn’t leave until tomorrow.”

“Chill. ‘S not in bed.”

“Then turn off the alarm, Derek.”

“Can’t.” His shoulder shifted in a shrug, pulling her face funny.

She poked him in the rib. “Sure, roll over and hit the snooze. If Will isn’t blocking you, you can do it.”

“‘E made me promise not to turn it off until you get up for school.”

“Fuck.” She let out a yawn and then started wiggling her limbs a bit to see if she was ready to move. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten that classes were starting. They’d just had a few weeks of no responsibilities and the blissful ability to sleep as late as she wanted.

Chris started making unhappy noises behind her as the alarm continued to sound, so she sped up the process of extricating herself from between them and getting Chris to latch onto Derek instead. As soon as she could reach it, she slapped the button to make the alarm turn off and then paused to stretch. The sight of her boys cuddled up in the morning sunlight made her stop and smile. Until another jaw cracking yawn interrupted the moment and she shuffled into the bathroom to shower.

When she emerged after her shower, the room was empty and the bed was somewhat made. The duvet was drawn up but rumpled in a way that her parents would never have let her get away with. She took a few seconds to smooth it out before heading to the walk-in closet.

Once she was dressed, she headed down to the kitchen only to immediately stop in her tracks when she saw the breakfast nook. It was decorated with streamers and balloons and a banner that read “Happy First Day of Kindergarten”, except “Kindergarten” was marked out and “Grad School” was written in. Derek blew a kazoo and Chris was holding up his phone to record everything. 

She covered her mouth and tried to suppress the laughter bubbling up. This was exactly the sort of scene that she would have staged for them and she couldn’t be upset at all that they’d turned it around on her. Honestly, she should have realized something was up as soon as she’d seen the empty bed after her shower.

“If you two are done with the jokes, can she eat?” Will started setting plates on the table filled with egg white omelets. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And you don’t learn as well if you’re hungry.” He moved back over to wipe up the counters but there was a stiffness to his posture.

“That doesn’t explain why it looks like you made breakfast for these jokesters.” 

She collected a kiss from each of them before she sat down and dug in. Chris launched into a description of the birds that he’d seen off the terrace that morning and she tried not to think about how this was probably the last Will-prepared breakfast that she’d get to eat for months.

* * *

As Cait trudged from the garage to the mudroom, she was ready to collapse. She’d had more physically exhausting days, and probably would again. And, of course, she’d known, logically, that grad school was going to be more intense than undergrad. Still, all she wanted was to crawl into a cuddle puddle of her datemates and not think for hours.

Unfortunately, the house was suspiciously devoid of most of them. She finally found Will crocheting in the library and dropped next to him when he cleared a spot.

“How was the first day of classes?”

She let her head drop onto his shoulder and whimpered.

“Ah. Well. I think I have time for one last construction project.”

Will stood up and Cait sat back up with a sigh. She wasn’t sure what he meant until he returned with a number of pillows and blankets and started pulling cushions off the couch. In a matter of a few moments, they were cuddled together under a pretty decent pillow fort considering how quickly it went together.

Will wrapped his arms around her and she let herself be pulled into the embrace. “Tell me about it.”

“There’s so much work. I mean. I knew that, right? But every single class has so many projects and papers and. It’s so much.”

“Yeah. It’s a lot.” Will gave her a squeeze. “Do you want to vent and get comfort, do you want suggestions?”

“This is helping, but maybe some reassurance.”

Will hummed. “Well, first of all, you are the smartest out of all of us, so you definitely got this. But if you need to ‘got this’ over the normal two, or even three, years instead of trying to cram an entire Masters degree into one year, that’s always an option. We have this house, we aren’t going anywhere unless you get a job somewhere else.”

She blinked and tried to find comfort in his words, but one thing stuck out and she spoke before she could stop herself. “You’re going somewhere.”

It was a stupid thing to say. It was needy and selfish and she had no right to say it when him living in Boston without them was her idea to start with. But she’d never wanted them to be apart at all, that was just the only thing she could think of to limit how much they were apart without anyone having to give up on their dreams. 

Will’s hands didn’t stop their soothing motion up and down her arms. “I am. But you’ll still have Chris and Derek. Just keep Derek away from sharp objects and open flame. Even then, he’d probably help fix your bibliographies with one hand while getting the other splinted. And if you ever, ever, need me. I will healthy scratch to come to you.”

“Not as a rookie.”

Will’s chest vibrated with his considering hum. “Even so.”

She twisted so she could look at him from the corner of her eye. “No. I mean. Don’t do that for me while you’re a rookie. Once you’re settled on the team and they know how much they need you, maybe then. But the last thing we need is for three of us to be unemployed.”

“You’re a full time student, you don’t count.” He smiled at her and she realized that she was feeling much better.

She was about to reply when they were interrupted. 

“Hey, no fair!” 

Derek’s exclamation was the only warning that they got before they were flattened as he jumped into the pile of pillows. 

“Oof.” 

All the air had been knocked out of Cait, but she felt it go out of Dex beneath her as well. 

“Derek, get off of us. You’re going to break Will.” 

“That’s what he gets for cuddling you in a blanket fort without me.” Derek’s voice was mostly upbeat and he shifted allowing Cait to move, so she figured he wasn’t really upset about the fort thing.

“Why did you tackle us?” 

“We’re _supposed_ to be making smores now that you’re home, but you didn’t come out there and C says I’m not supposed to light the fire pit until everyone is together.”

“ _You’re_ not supposed to light the fire pit at all after the last time.” Will propped himself back up beside Cait and she gave him a quick look over for injuries. 

“One time! One time I used too much lighter fluid!” 

Cait snorted with laughter. “Yeah, Will. It’s not his fault he’s too hot to handle.”

“Sure. I get ‘flaming’ jokes but Derek gets ‘hot’ jokes. I see how it is.” Will’s grumble was belied by a twitch of a smile on one side of his mouth.

Cait pushed herself to her feet. “Smores sound perfect, actually.”


	4. Chapter 4

Roadies were the worst. Actually, this past roadie was specifically the worst. It wasn’t even to Boston so he could see Will. And Cait was on a trip for her program and it was hella cool and hella important and totally ‘swawesome that they asked her because she was hella smart. Which would all be fine, except Derek was in NYC to talk to a publisher and visit his family and then he was going to visit Will.

For the first time in years, Chris was going home to an empty house. 

He shouldn’t be upset by it. The whole arrangement was set up to maximize the time he spent with his partners. Will was the one with the bad end of the deal and the least amount of time with any of them. 

But for the first time in years, Chris was going home to an empty house. To an empty bed. To be alone.

He didn’t _need_ anyone. But he sure did like having them around. He thought about it the whole plane trip back. The rest of the team dozed, or watched things quietly in the dim plane. They finally landed at 1 AM local time. 

Chris didn’t want to go back to his lonely house and his lonely bed.

“Hey Nobby! Wanna grab some burritos in the Mission?”

“Another time, Chow. I’ve got a bed and a pair of the sexiest arms in California waiting for me.” Nobby grinned tiredly before shuffling by.

Chris looked over the rest of the team and staff as they all headed off towards their cars. Even the most gregarious and party inclined seemed to just want to get home. He sighed and hitched his bag on his shoulder before heading towards his own car.

* * *

He really had no excuse for not noticing the lights on when he drove up. He assumed they were on a timer, or that someone had left a light on to make the house look like it wasn’t empty for the day until he returned. The timer seemed like the sort of thing that Will would set up. Remembering to turn it on seemed like the sort of thing Cait would do. So his brain didn’t require any input from him on if this situation actually existed before it decided that the light being on was normal.

So when he passed the kitchen and saw Derek sitting at the island, he thought it was just a sleep mirage. Wishful thinking. 

When Derek yawned and stretched and stood up, he had to reconsider.

“Chill! You’re home!” Derek pressed their foreheads together and gave him a quick kiss. “I got you a Turkey Havarti from Boudin earlier if you’re hungry. Did you drop your bag in the laundry room?”

Derek didn’t wait for an answer, just moved past him into the mud room/laundry room to start going through his bag and sorting the clothes. Chris had planned to wait until morning, but he wasn’t really hungry, so he followed Derek back in to help.

“What are you doing here?”

“Um, getting your dirty clothes out of your bag? You know how Will and Cait feel about leaving clothes anywhere other than the hampers.”

“No. Why are you in California?”

Derek looked up and smiled. “Oh, you mean, why am I not in Boston?”

“Yeah.”

“Will and I talked about it and while we recognize that you are a strong, independent goalie who don’t need no d-men, we also agreed that I should come back home to be with you for the next couple of days until Cait gets back. I’ll fly back out to Boston on Tuesday.”

Chris blinked. On the one hand, he was really glad that Derek was home. On the other hand, he _was_ a strong, independent person and didn’t need to be babied. He would be fine on his own. “I would have been fine.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have been.”

“What?” 

Derek sighed and stood up. “It’s chill. I know you don’t need me. This is me being completely selfish because I want to have all the Chris hugs to myself.” 

There was something that Derek wasn’t saying, but that was ok. He’d tell Chris eventually. Or Will or Cait. Chris wrapped his arms around Derek and pressed in close. “I am glad you’re here. And I do need you. I just wouldn’t have fallen apart on my own.”

“Of course not. You’re a strong, independent goalie.”

They grinned at each other again until Derek’s broke as he failed to stifle another yawn. 

“But if you’re not hungry, can we go to bed? I’m not a strong goalie and it’s past my bedtime.”

“Why didn’t you go to bed?”

Derek kept an arm wrapped around Chris while they moved through the house, turning off lights on the way up to the bedroom. “I didn’t want to miss you coming up. Plus, I didn’t want you to freak out when there was someone in the bed and you weren’t expecting anyone.”

“Thanks.” He turned and pressed a kiss against Derek’s shoulder. 

Derek barely seemed to want to stop touching him so that they could get ready for bed. Out of the whole group, Derek was the only one who seemed to match Chris for pure desire to touch and hug. Chris paused and looked over at Derek. It was funny how they tended to koala onto Will and Cait more often than each other. Probably because the other two needed it just as much but wouldn’t initiate. 

Once he was changed and tucked into his boyfriend’s arms, Chris sighed contentedly. This was what he’d been missing on the roadie. What he’d been dreading missing in his own bed. The feeling of being surrounded by love. The feeling of someone to pour out love for.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brief cameo by Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Chara Zdeno.

Will didn’t have the day off. But he only had morning practice and he could deal with that. Morning practice meant he was forced to think about skating. About running plays. About the pounding of his heart and the sweat running down his face and the ache in his muscles. He couldn’t stop and worry about planes.

There really wasn’t a reason for Derek to not get an uber or lyft to the apartment. His plane landed while WIll was still in practice and he could have made it there before Will did. Still, Will got to the locker room to find a text saying that Derek was waiting at the airport for him. He hurried through getting changed and ready.

“Dex still got wheels after practice, maybe he should go skate some more.” 

Will rolled his eyes at Marchy’s chirp. “Gotta get to the airport to pick up my boyfriend.”

There was a chorus of catcalls and he shrugged them off.

“The Sharks are in Vegas today though?”

Several of the guys snorted or laughed at Charlie’s comment. 

“They are!”

“His other boyfriend, Charlie. Drive safe, Will.” Chara nodded at him and Will made his escape. 

Once he was stopped at the arrivals pick up area, he texted Derek to let him know that he was there and then got out of the car so he could help with Derek’s bags. 

Then Derek was there. In front of him. Looking tired but relaxed and soft and amazing. Before Will could reach for Derek’s bags, he dropped them and wrapped himself around Will tightly. 

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Will might have been holding just as tight as Derek. They were definitely making a scene. 

“Do you care if I make a scene?”

“Aren’t we already making a scene?” 

Derek apparently took that as a challenge, because he pressed Will back against the side of the car and kissed Will until his toes curled. He would surely have kissed Will longer, but that’s about when Will noticed that Derek was shivering as he caressed Will’s cheek. 

“You forgot your hat and scarf didn’t you?”

“It was 70 degrees when I left.”

“Ayuh.” Will pulled the scarf from around his neck and wrapped it around Derek’s, then pulled a hat out of his pocket which he pulled onto Derek’s head and then used to reel him back in for another quick kiss. “Let me put your bags in the back and we can head out.”

“Chill. Did you make this?” He’d lifted the end of the scarf and was inspecting it.

“Ayuh. Thought you’d like that one, so I kept it back from the donation pile.” He had to work a little Tetris magic to get the bags in the back along with his stuff. “You bring enough stuff, Derek?”

“Chyeah. Leaving some of it here. Don’t want you forgetting I live here too.”

It was a smooth tone. A chill tone. A cool and nonchalant, easy breezy tone. A tone that tried to hide the fact that Derek was definitely trying to make sure Will didn’t feel like he was alone when he was alone. Will smiled at him as they climbed into the car.

“Ok, so. Are you wicked tired, or can we run a quick errand first?” Holding hands over the gear shift was definitely easier in an automatic, but they made it work. 

“What kind of errand?”

“Got a fresh load of octopi for the NICU and the babies have been asking when they get to meet you.”

“Chill. Really?”

“Well, the babies don’t do much except fight really hard because they are wicked strong like that. But the nurses have actually asked about meeting you. We can do it another day, though.”

“Chill. I’m fine stopping for a little bit. But then a nap and I get to be the big spoon.”

“Ok.”


	6. Chapter 6

Derek was a third of the way into the pie when Cait slid into the seat next to him in the dark. 

“Is that the pie that Will pre-prepped and left in the freezer for Thanksgiving?”

He’d just taken a large bite and didn’t bother swallowing it all, instead forcing the answer out around it. “No.”

Another fork dug into the pie and Derek swallowed hurriedly.

“Thief.” 

“It is Will’s Thanksgiving pie and I’m just helping you dispose of the evidence. I figured that was preferable to me telling him who ate it.”

“Chill. Extortion?”

“Yep.”

Derek nudge the tin over so it was more between them. “Finally finish your paper? I can run a SPAG check on it if you want. Check the citations. Stuff like that.”

“You didn’t have to stay up just so you could check on me and help with my homework.”

“Definitely didn’t do that. I just like editing.” 

“Right. Will told me about your bibliography kink.”

“Chill! I do not have a bibliography kink.”

“Mmhmm. And yet, here you are, awake at 3 am to offer to check my citations.”

“Kink implies sexual gratification or excitement. It’s not a kink. You’re supposed to take my side.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m nice and I’m sharing this superb pie with you.”

Cait took another bite and chewed it slowly while looking at him with her eyebrows raised. “Pretty sure you’re sharing the pie to buy my silence, not my loyalty.”

Derek leaned until their shoulders were pressed together. “You can’t be bought anyway.” 

“Oh?”

“Not for sale. Affections only freely given to those who deserve them.”

“And you deserve them, huh?”

“Well, I _am_ cute.”

“True.”

“Probably the cutest boyfriend you have-”

“Well…”

“But most importantly, I am great at editing and I would really really rather do that than keep working on my book right now.”

“Oh. You’re in the procrastination bubble.”

The pie tin was empty by this point, so Derek pushed it across the table and laid his head down on the cool wood. “I am. I’m stuck in the bubble. Worse. Words won’t word for me.”

“Oh, writer’s block too. Ok. Well, why don’t you worry about indulging in your bibliography kink in the actual morning and we can sleep now.”

He sat up and shot a wounded look in her direction. “Chill! It’s not a kink. We are dating and living together-”

“In sin.”

“And you know all my actual kinks.” 

“Ok, point. But couples learn new things about each other all the time. Maybe tonight I’ll learn that you have a kink for carrying me up to the bedroom and then being the big spoon.”

Derek tilted his head appraisingly. “Maybe I’ll learn you have a kink for potentially being dropped down the stairs. But sure.”

“You already know I like to live dangerously.”

“Sure.” He stood up and swept her into a bridal carry before resolutely marching to the stairs and up to the bedroom. They made it without incident, which seemed like cause for celebration.

“Do not fist pump until you have set me down, please.”

“Right. Chill.” He carefully dropped her on the bed. Just enough of a drop so that she’d bounce a little. He shook out his arms. “Next time, you carry me.”

“Deal. Now make with being the big spoon already.”

Derek smiled and climbed onto the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around until she was completely burritoed by him and the blankets.

They probably shouldn’t have eaten so much and then immediately gone to bed, but Cait didn’t seem to have any problems falling asleep. Her breathing evened out quickly but he waited another half an hour to be sure she was fully asleep before carefully peeling away from her and tucking the blankets back in to keep her warm and cozy. 

He padded quietly back down the stairs and into the library. Cait’s computer was still on, the monitor glowing softly and backlighting a post note.

> Try to go to bed before I wake up, kay?

It was signed with a heart.


	7. Chapter 7

The day that winter break started, Cait’s alarm went off at 6:30 am. Against all her better thoughts, she did not throw it into a wall. She got up, got dressed, and went downstairs to start her day.

Only to find Derek waiting in the gym. 

“When you weren’t in bed, I figured you’d stayed up writing, or decided to sleep in the other room to avoid my alarm.”

Derek grinned and tossed a volleyball at her. “Nah. I slept in the other room so my, earlier, alarm wouldn’t wake you up and spoil the surprise.”

“And somehow Chris slept through both of them.”

“Yeah. But he had a long game last night.”

“And will wake up when it’s his alarm so he can be at practice on time.”

“Wish I could differentiate alarms in my sleep.”

“We can’t all have super powers like Chris.” Cait grinned and served the ball at the wall before turning to catch the next one that Derek tossed her way.

Derek raised his eyebrows as he looked over at the ball she’d just served. “Or you.”

She served the second ball and let it bounce away. “You just here to shag the balls for me?”

“Excuse me? What is this slander?”

“You know that it means rounding up the volleyballs. Don’t act all affronted with me, Word Man.”

“Word Man?”

“Yeah, your superhero identity, right?”

“I think you mean Word-Man.” 

“Did you have to say the hyphen out loud?”

“Yes. It’s very important. Word hyphen Man. Like Spider-Man.”

Cait rolled her eyes and caught the volleyball that he tossed her before turning to serve it as well. 

“You really think that you’re the one most like Spider-Man?”

“No, but I’m the one who can appreciate the beauty of a well-placed hyphen.”

“Make sure to put that in your author bio. ‘Appreciates the beauty of a well-placed hyphen.’ Actually, maybe it should go on the back cover.” 

“Gotta finish the book first.”

“Oh, is that why you’re spending time with me?”

“What? Because you’re smart, brilliant, intelligent, creative, thoughtful, amazing, and beautiful? No. I’m just here to shag balls.”

They fell into a rhythm, a smooth transition of Derek tossing a ball, Cait serving, and Derek tossing another ball. There was an entire cage full of volleyballs next to Derek, so they wouldn’t have to actually stop and round up the balls any time soon, though Cait did take a moment after the first few to make sure she stretched.

“Maybe I should add a car chase. Readers love car chases, right?”

“Isn’t your story set in twelfth century Wales?”

“I fail to see your point.”

“Maybe not a car chase.”

“Chill. Got a better idea?”

“Hmm.” She served while she thought. “Let’s see, you could kill a character. Jewel heist. Main character joins a gang. Main character has to go undercover in a twelfth century beauty pageant.”

“I mean, it’s a children’s book, so I should probably not do the gang thing. Or the killing thing. But that beauty pageant idea might work. Remind me later.”

“Sure thing.” No ball came her way and she glanced over at the cage. It was empty. “Did I really already serve that many times?

“Ch’yeah. You were in the zone.”

“Time to shag then.”

“Well, if you insist.” Derek stood up and walked towards her with a grin. He made a dramatic display of throwing an arm around her back and dipping her sideways to plant a big kiss on her. Then didn’t stop.

When he kept holding her, she let herself relax a bit and adjusted her angle to deepen the kiss. Eventually she pulled her head back and pushed gently with her hands until he straightened back up and returned her to her normal and upright position.

“What was that for?”

“Do I need a reason to kiss my girlfriend?”

“No, but you’re gonna make your boyfriends envious that they didn’t kisses like that.”

“First of all, who says they didn’t?”

“Me. Will is still in Boston and Chris left while we were both down here.”

“Chill. They’ll both be here this weekend though. And Second of all, how will they know to be envious?”

“Again. Me. You think I’m above bragging?”

Derek put his hands over his chest and stumbled backwards dramatically. “Your betrayal wounds me, Cait.”

She narrowed her eyes as she watched him deftly navigate the equipment and uncollected volleyballs even while walking backwards and being a drama nerd.

“Ok, tell me the truth. Do you fake being clumsy just to make Will worry?”

Derek grinned again. “Nah. I just get distracted around him a lot.”

“Has he figured that out?”

“Unclear. I’m not telling though.”

“I won’t either.” She paused and scooped up a couple of volleyballs to toss into the cage. “But seriously, help me collect these. I need to keep practicing or I won’t make the national team in February.”

“Oh, you’re gonna make the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least one of my coaches always called collecting the balls after practice "shagging the balls". And it is an actual definition of the word! kinda. like, chasing or catching balls for practice is the definition in play, it would be used for baseball in that case. But. yeah. Why use a term that doesn't have a dirty slang meaning when one that does is available?


	8. Chapter 8

Cait nuzzled against his chest and then pulled back to blink up at him. He smiled down at her sleep soft face. Chris loved watching her wake up. She was so beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the world. She never believed him when he said that, but that’s ok. True things are still true even when they aren’t believed.

“We’re all alone?”

“Mmhmm. Will went down to start cooking and Derek-”

“Went down to start trying to steal food before it’s ready.” She finished his thought with a smile. He loved when she did that.

“Chyeah.” 

“We should probably go down, too. Will is terrible at telling Derek no.”

Chris wasn’t worried about moving because Cait made no move to get up. “Derek doesn’t know that.”

“No offense, but when it comes to Will, Derek is the stupidest smart person we know.”

He should probably defend his boyfriend’s honor, but she wasn’t wrong, so he just ended up laughing. “He hella is. Getting him to realize that we wanted to date him was hella easier than getting him to realize that Will wanted to date him.” 

Cait’s arms tightened around his waist. “They’ll probably be busy for a while, huh?”

Chris opened his mouth, prepared to say something about how they could go down and join them, when he caught the look in her eye. “Probably won’t even notice if we stay in bed awhile longer.” 

“I love the way you think.”

Chris grinned and then captured her mouth with his.

Eventually, they made their way down to the kitchen. To find Derek and Will at the table eating, and the Sin Bin between their own waiting plates. 

“I think they’re onto us.” Chris whispered to Cait, sotto voce.

“Play it cool. They don’t have any proof.”

Chris grinned and wrapped his arms around her, hugging while they walked. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. He finally let go when they reached their chairs and sat down.

They both tried to pick up their forks and start eating, not just because they were hella hungry, but because somehow food always tasted better when Will made it for them. 

“Sin Bin first.” Derek raised his eyebrows at them. “You know the rules.”

“We have no idea what you are talking about.” Cait raised her brows back and Chris bit his tongue.

Now Will was raising his brows. Maybe Chris should raise his too and they would all match.

“Even if I’d had a chance to soundproof the bedrooms last summer, you two have never been quiet during sex.”

They were definitely onto them.

“Unnegotiated couple activities on a pre scheduled quadrangle day.” Nursey shook his head and tsked. 

Chris leaned over to whisper in Cait’s ear. “They have a point. And if we try to deny it, they’ll probably bring more sanctions.”

She turned so that she could murmur back. “Yeah. You’re right. Let’s just take our punishment.”

They both turned and looked at the other two before simultaneously reaching into the Sin Bin and pulling out a piece of paper.  
Cait opened hers. “Ten minute dance party.”

Derek and Will nodded and looked to Chris, so he opened his.

“Bubble bath.”

“Makes more sense to do Cait’s first, then.”

Everyone agreed with Will, but they had to finish eating first. No need to let the food get any colder.

A ten minute dance party only lasts about three songs maximum, but when they were all either jumping around to dance it out or pressed together, it got sweaty fast. 

When the timer finally chimed to say the party was over, Nursey wasted no time peeling his shirt off. “Bubble bath time!” He ran off, leaving the rest of them to follow. 

Cait threw a glance Chris’s way and then smirked while shrugging and proceeded to strip her own shirt off to follow.

Chris was content to follow at a slower pace, and Will seemed to be also, wrapping an arm around Chris’s shoulder as they went. 

“You know they’re going to put too much bubble bath in before we get there.”

“Ayuh. The bubbles might be higher than our heads.”

Chris nodded. “As long as you’re ok with that.”

Will hummed and was quiet for a moment. “You’re planning to propose. Aren’t you?”

“What? How’d you know? I haven’t said anything.” Chris stopped and stared at Will. 

“Yeah, well.” Will shrugged.

“It’s not…” Chris trailed off. “I don’t love you and Derek less, just….”

“Hey, no. I get it.” Will reached out to caress his cheek and then turned to wrap an arm around Chris’s shoulders again, probably so that he could look somewhere else. “I was actually thinking the same things. I want to propose to all of you, honestly.”

“The government won’t recognize more than one marriage.” He frowned. It was something he’d worried about for awhile. Because Will was right. If he could, he’d marry all of them. He was pretty sure they were all going to be together for a long time.

Will shrugged again, his arm moving against Chris’s shoulder. “So, the government recognizes you with Cait and me with Derek, assuming they say yes.”

Chris snorted. Only Will would think there was still a chance they’d say no.

“But, I was thinking, if you two do also want to marry me and Derek, and he wants to marry all of us. Maybe. Maybe we could do our own little ceremony here. It won’t be legally binding, but we’ll know. And we could all have matching rings, the four of us. In addition to the rings from the legal ceremonies, if you want.” 

“I’d like that. The marrying all of you part.” He leaned into Will’s side and they started walking again. “The rings, maybe we only need one matching set anyway.”

“We can see what Cait and Derek think.”

“Chyeah. But not yet. I was going to wait until she finished her Masters program and knew about the Women’s National Team thing and knew what she was doing for her doctoral program. There’s just….”

“Ayuh. Cait is a busy lady with a lot on her mind.”

“Oh! But we can coordinate and ask at the same time!”

“Hey! Slowpokes! The bubbles are dying in here!” Cait’s voice rang out through the house.

“We can talk about it some more, when our amazing datemates aren’t getting all pruney in the bathtub waiting on us.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Sin Bin now works thus: if they have pre scheduled plans for one relationship dynamic, and someone breaks those plans to focus on another relationship dynamic without notification, they have to pay the price. (Ie, don't make your other SO's feel like they aren't as important by breaking plans with them to be with a different one). Rather than putting money in the Sin Bin, it's got a bunch of pieces of paper in it and they pull one out and it's an activity or something that they do with whoever they broke the plans with. So, it's generally something enjoyable anyway, but it's a specific extra thing to refocus and show care for the relationship.
> 
> Also, the proposal talk might seem kinda sudden, but they are super early stages. Like, no one has rings. They are just coming to the conclusions that this is something they want to do eventually. They bought a house together already, so it was probably going to happen eventually. But it's going to be _awhile_. Will just pays attention and recognized the way Chris was looking because he'd started having similar thoughts recently too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brief mentions of real life NHL players and their wives, as discussed in the third person.

Will thought that probably the datemate that he missed the most when he was in Boston was Cait. She was the one he saw the least. He saw Chris a few times when they had games against each other or near each other. Derek visited as often as possible. But Cait he’d only gotten to see on the few days break he had for holidays. 

It made sense. She was taking an extra heavy course load to finish in a year, and training to try out for the national team, and being the only force available to contain the chaos that was Derek and Chris. 

Which wasn’t at all ironic since she was also Will’s partner in crime for renegade justice.

Either way, it felt great to be back in California during the All-Star break. It was only about a month after the holiday break, but it was a little longer, so it felt like he could really focus on the people he loved. On the things he loved. 

Which was why he was awake at dawn, jogging down the road with Cait at his side and a (small) pack on his back. He needed to keep up his exercise routine and she was still training for tryouts the next month, so it made sense to have some “them” time. Even if it was before what would have been 5 am back in Boston.

“Thanks for coming with me. I tried carrying a wrench and claiming it was for protection and got told that made it a weapon.” Cait regulated her breathing as they slowed near a bench in the local park.

“Ayuh. Of course. Better with a lookout anyway.” Once he was sure that he’d slowed and cool down enough for the break, Will pulled out a wrench and started removing the bolts holding the anti-homeless bars onto the bench. 

Once he was done, Cait helped him stick them into his pack and they started jogging again.

“How many more benches did you say had these?”

“At least five.”

“Maybe I’ll take some of the bars to Snowy. He can make some kind of art thing out of them.”

“Oh he can, can he? You into Dustin Snow’s art now, Mr. Poindexter?”

Will looked at her from the corner of his eye while they jogged around a bend. “He does interesting things with reclaimed metal.”

“I’m sure he does.”

She was smirking at him and he smiled in return. “Don’t worry. He’s not my goalie.”

“Better not forget it.”

He grinned a little wider. “Tuuks and Jaro on the other hand….” 

Cait burst into breathy laughter as the paused by another bench. “Oh, please let me be there if you try to ask them. I want to see the looks on their faces.” 

“Are you kidding? Even _if_ , and that’s a big if, even if I was interested in them like that, Jasmiina and Petra are enough reason to not even consider asking.” He grunted as he tried to unbolt the bar. It seemed to have gotten cross threaded.

“Jasmiina and Petra are why you wouldn’t ask?”

Will turned his head slightly to look at her while still working on the bolt. “Other than the fact that I’m completely happy with the relationships I have? Ayuh. Jasmiina and Petra.”

The bolt finally came out and Cait helped him back up and to pack away the bars. 

They jogged in silence for a bit, just the sound of their feet on the pavement and the early morning. 

“You still crocheting?”

“Ayuh. Still cold out there. Lots of need for hats and scarves and stuff.”

“What’ll you do when it’s not that cold? I know you like to keep busy.”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “NICU always needs octopi and hats and blankets. Might do some more book binding and wood working.”

“Cruise around to find people who need their appliances repaired.”

“You know, I might.”

Cait bumped their arms together. “Just be careful.”

“I will. Actually, found an interesting tank top pattern might be interesting to try. Maybe one of my cousins or my Ma will want one.”

The silence descended again while they jogged on towards the next bench. He couldn’t offer to make one for Cait, no matter how much he liked to make things for the people he loved. She liked to ask. But he could let her know things were available to ask for. 

The silence wasn’t broken again until after they’d removed the rest of the bars and started back towards the house. “Hey Will? Show me the tank when we get home. I might like one, too.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Tumbls is [SexyDexyNurse](https://sexydexynurse.tumblr.com/). Give me a shout.


End file.
